Current Time - Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

[undead_rat]

I noticed an interview with a high-level US government official wherein he stated that the USA will never allow Iran to possess a nuclear weapon. Reading between the lines, that is a troubling statement as it seems to imply that the USA will take military action against Iran if sanctions do not roduce the result of preventing Iran’s nuclear enablement. The Iranians are very good at building tunnels into their mountains, so conventional bombs could not destroy their nuclear weapons factories. That leaves either an invasion or an attack with nuclear weapons as the alternatives.

 

[vz71]

That leaves either an invasion or an attack with nuclear weapons as the alternatives.

Seems to me we have plenty of conventional ways to destroy underground facilities.

No need to try and scare people with nukes.

 

[undead_rat]

No one will destroy Iran’s under-mountain tunnels without either using nuclear weapons or invading Iran and defeating its armies.

We ought to be scared. OT prophets predict a global nuclear war, and the specifics are that “the disaster spreads from nation to nation.” It is not to late to avoid this catastrophe, but people seem to be unaware of the danger.

 

[Theo520]

No one will destroy Iran’s under-mountain tunnels without either using nuclear weapons or invading Iran and defeating its armies.

No, they would just collapse the 6 entrances
Could be done simultaneously in under a minute.
No need to destroy the tunnels

 

[vz71]

No one will destroy Iran’s under-mountain tunnels without either using nuclear weapons or invading Iran and defeating its armies

One word.
MOAB.

 

[undead_rat]

Collapsed entrances will just be dug out. The deep inside mountain facilities will remain.

The MOAB is not a ground penetration bomb.

But the B61-12 has that capability.

Video Shows Earth-Penetrating Capability of B61-12 Nuclear Bomb - Federation of American Scientists

The capability of the new B61-12 nuclear bomb seems to continue to expand, from a simple life-extension of an existing bomb, to the first U.S. guided nuclear gravity bomb, to a nuclear earth-penetrator with increased accuracy. The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) previously...

fas.org

See also the B61-11 variant with ground penetration capability and a monster 400 KT yield.

B61 nuclear bomb - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Theo520]

But the B61-12 has that capability.

They wouldn’t go nuclear, but the below would make the entrances closed for an extended period. Just hit it again when they try to reopen for operation.

GBU-57A-B Penetrator​

 

[vz71]

The MOAB is not a ground penetration bomb.

MOAB was used effectively against a cave complex in Afghanistan.

Of course, if you are married to the words ground penetration, there is MOP as well.

Still no need to go nuclear.

 

[undead_rat]

Thanks for the link. The specs are a total weight of 30,000 lbs with 5000 lbs of explosive and a 200 ft penetration capability.

GBU-57A/B MOP - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Whether or not this device could destroy a facility that had been tunneled deep inside of a mountain is questionable. Two tons of explosive is hardly comparable to 400 Kt.

 

[vz71]

Doesn’t need to completely destroy the facility.
Just burying the entrances under a couple hundred thousand tons of rubble will do the trick.

Anything going on in the facility is destroyed.

Again, no need for nukes.

 

[undead_rat]

Even if that is true, it does not account for multiple exits pre-dug from the inside that can be opened in a day.
https://isis-online.org/isis-reports/detail/the-fordow-enrichment-plant-aka-al-ghadir

 

[GKMotley]

redundant post deleted.

 

[GKMotley]

But that’s the way to bet it.